Modular communication housing unit providing integrated and automatic failover to a secondary meshed peer-to-peer communication network

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a self-contained mesh radio extension unit, comprising a receiving sleeve having an open volume and a first data connector for communicative coupling to a communication device or cellular phone inserted in the open volume. A low-gain internal antenna and a high-gain external antenna are coupled to a digital data link (DDL) with a first DDL operating frequency. The DDL provides bidirectional internet protocol (IP) connectivity between the first data connector and a peer-to-peer meshed communication network, controlling one or more of the antennae as transceivers at the first DDL operating frequency. An integrated power supply system powers the DDL and includes a rechargeable internal battery and an external power interface. A control system automatically routes IP packets received or transmitted by the DDL and includes a network address translation (NAT) router and an IP addressing service for assigning and tracking IP addresses across the peer-to-peer meshed communication network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/187,598 filed Feb. 26, 2021 and entitled “MODULAR COMMUNICATIONHOUSING UNIT PROVIDING INTEGRATED AND AUTOMATIC FAILOVER TO A SECONDARYMESHED PEER-TO-PEER COMMUNICATION NETWORK” the disclosure of which isherein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure pertains to mobile communications, and moreparticularly pertains to extending primary communication devices with adetachable, self-contained housing for providing automatic failover froma primary network to a meshed communications network.

BACKGROUND

In an increasingly digital and interconnected age, reliablecommunications have become a cornerstone upon which many aspects ofmodern life are built. Although typically considered in the context ofeveryday usage scenarios, such as at the office or the home, reliablecommunications are also of tremendous importance in governmental andmilitary contexts, in which failed or unreliable communications are notjust a mere inconvenience but can put multiple lives at risk. Somewhatcloser to home, reliable communications have proven to be essential inproviding emergency services and emergency response—yet to this day,large numbers of natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and otheremergency events continue to suffer from a lack of reliablecommunications. Regardless of the context, in the absence of the abilityto communicate and send data, the flow of information grinds to a halt,crippling decision-making and logistical operations during times ofcrisis or need.

In the context of communications systems that are designed for militaryor emergency use, or are otherwise designed to be robust againstfailure, a primary focus is communication availability and reliabilityat the network edge. Another important design factor is communicationsredundancy. For example, military personnel operate various forms ofdifferent communications equipment in an attempt to ensure that audioand/or data connectivity are maintained in the event of a communicationsfailure at the tactical edge. In light of these two factors (networkrobustness/edge reliability and communications redundancy),communication systems can be designed to accommodate changing conditionsin a network deployment environment by carrying hardware forcommunication over multiple different networks.

However, conventional systems are cumbersome, bulky, and providesecondary network radios that are low power/low range, low bandwidth,and generally inappropriate for mission critical use cases. Moreover,conventional systems do not seamlessly integrate with a user's existingprimary communication device in a convenient form factor, insteadrequiring users to carry two separate devices while also ensuring that aconnection between the devices is not broken or interrupted.Accordingly, it would be desirable to not only provide a more powerful,efficient and secure failover network that can be integrated with usercommunication devices operating on a primary communication network, butalso to integrate the secure failover network into a convenient andcompact form factor that can be seamless combined with a user's existingcommunication device(s).

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing variouscommunication devices with automatic failover from a primarycommunication network to a meshed communication network, wherein themeshed communication network is provided by a self-contained mesh radiounit detachably coupled to the primary communication device.

The self-contained mesh radio unit can be both communicatively coupledto the primary communication device and/or physically coupled to theprimary communication device. In some embodiments, the primarycommunication device comprises a smartphone and the self-contained meshradio unit is integrated into a case or housing that receives thesmartphone (see, e.g., FIGS. 3A and 3B). In this fashion, the smartphonecan be both communicatively coupled (e.g., via its female USB-C or otherdata port/connector) and physically coupled (e.g., via its own housing)to the self-contained mesh radio unit in an approximately simultaneousfashion, simply by inserting the smartphone into the case portion of theself-contained mesh radio unit's housing.

In other words, aspects of the present disclosure contemplate a housingthat not only contains all of the constituent components of theself-contained mesh radio unit but can further be employed as a case orsleeve for receiving the smartphone and communicatively coupling it tothe self-contained mesh radio unit. Notably, this provides a seamlessand improved user experience in comparison to conventional solutions,which at most permit an external radio (in an entirely separate housing)to be connected to a communication device, therefore requiring a user tocarry and keep track of two separate physical devices that furthermoreare prone to becoming disconnected when jostled, bumped or subject toother movements.

Moreover, unlike conventional solutions that are limited to low power,low range, low bandwidth radios, the presently disclosed self-containedmesh radio unit is suitable for use in mission critical applications,providing high bandwidth secure/encrypted communications from shortrange up to intermediate or long ranges. Where conventional solutionsprovide bandwidth in the kilobits/s range, the presently disclosedself-contained mesh radio unit can achieve bandwidths that are multipleorders of magnitude greater, providing bandwidth in excess of severalhundred megabits/s depending on environmental factors. Furthermore, inaddition to augmenting communication reliability when moving in and outof cell coverage (whether provided by public carriers or privateinfrastructure), the presently disclosed self-contained mesh radiosystem is also fully capable of operating in austere communicationenvironments where no cellular or primary communication network coverageexists. As will be described in greater depth below, the presentlydisclosed self-contained mesh radio system and units are able to meshsmartphone and user communication devices directly to one another in adynamic, self-healing, closed L2 (layer 2) network when disconnectedfrom a serving carrier or primary communication network.

The self-contained mesh radio unit and its associated meshedcommunication network augment the functionality of the primarycommunication network (e.g., LTE, 5G, etc.) relied upon by thecommunication device—where these primary communication networks dependheavily on both the availability and proximity of the communicationdevice to centralized base stations, the meshed communication networkdoes not: in the absence of primary network availability, theself-contained mesh radio unit and can perform automatic failover to themeshed communication network and thereby provide direct, peer-to-peercommunications to other users and/or communication devices reachablethrough the meshed communication network.

For example, in some embodiments it is contemplated that the meshedcommunication network is formed wholly or partly of users havingsmartphones with the presently disclosed self-contained mesh radio unitcoupled thereto. However, it is also contemplated that theself-contained mesh radio unit can operate independently of smartphonesand other primary communication devices—rather than performing failoverfrom a primary LTE or other communication network, the self-containedmesh radio unit can instead provide dedicated access to the meshedcommunication network to one or more laptops and other IP connectivitydevices. This dedicated access for additional devices can be performedwhen the self-contained mesh radio unit is already coupled with acommunication device (e.g., with a smartphone already installed in thereceiving case portion of the mesh radio unit's housing) and/or can beperformed in standalone fashion (without a smartphone or othercommunication device physically coupled to the housing of the mesh radiounit).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a moreparticular description of the principles briefly described above will berendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawingsdepict only example embodiments of the disclosure and are not thereforeto be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principles herein aredescribed and explained with additional specificity and detail throughthe use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1A-C depict different example communication configurations of usercommunication devices coupled to self-contained mesh radio unitsaccording to aspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-B depict example communication configurations of usercommunication devices and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) each coupledto self-contained mesh radio units according to aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is an example architecture diagram illustrating constituentcomponents of an example self-contained mesh radio unit according toaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A is a perspective rear view of an example self-contained meshradio unit installed on a user communication device, with a rear housingpanel of the self-contained mesh radio unit removed; and

FIG. 4B is a perspective front view of an example self-contained meshradio unit installed on a user communication device according to aspectsof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below.While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that other components and configurationsmay be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosedprinciples. It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity ofillustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeatedamong the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogouselements. The description is not to be considered as limiting the scopeof the embodiments described herein. Aspects of the disclosure may beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the example embodiments set forth herein. It should also beemphasized that the disclosure provides details of alternative examples,but such listing of alternatives is not exhaustive. Furthermore, anyconsistency of detail between various examples should not be interpretedas requiring such detail—it is impracticable to list every possiblevariation for every feature described herein.

Disclosed is a self-contained mesh radio unit for augmenting variouscommunication devices to include automatic failover from a primarycommunication network of the communication device (e.g., cellularnetwork, LTE, etc.) to a meshed communication network provided by theself-contained mesh radio unit. In some embodiments, the self-containedmesh radio unit can be integrated into a housing that also functions asa case or sleeve in which a smartphone or other primary communicationdevice may be inserted, although it is appreciated that theself-contained mesh radio unit can also be used in a standalone fashion,as will be described in greater depth below.

The disclosure begins with a discussion of example scenarios and usecases demonstrating the capabilities of the presently disclosedself-contained mesh radio unit(s) and corresponding meshed communicationnetwork—these examples are discussed with respect to FIGS. 1A-2B. Thedisclosure turns next to a description of an example self-contained meshradio unit, its architecture, and consistent components, as seen in FIG.3 . An example of the self-contained mesh radio unit coupled to a usercommunication device (here, a smartphone) is seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

Note that in the context of the following discussion and examples,reference is made to a scenario in which the primary communicationdevice is provided by a cellular phone, smartphone, or other mobilecommunication device. However, it is appreciated that this is forpurposes of example and clarity of illustration, and that various othercommunication devices and associated form factors can be utilizedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly,although reference is made to examples in which the primarycommunication network consists of a public or private LTE network, it isappreciated that various other cellular networks (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.),communication networks, and communication protocols may be employedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1A-C depict three different communication configurations 100 a-c.Each will be discussed in turn below. The same components are depictedin each of the communication configurations: four user communicationdevices 120 a-d and a base station 110. Base station 110 is associatedwith providing a primary communication network, such as an LTE or 5Gnetwork, over which the user communication devices 120 a-d transmit andreceive data and communications. The primary communication network canbe public or private and can implement telecommunication standards otherthan LTE or 5G without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Each one of the user communication devices 120 a-d is equipped with orcoupled to one of the presently disclosed self-contained mesh radiounits (not shown). For example, if the user communication devices aresmartphones, then the self-contained mesh radio unit can be provided asa case into which the smartphone is inserted. Note that the failover ofuser communication devices 120 a-d to the meshed network provided by theself-contained mesh radio units (i.e., occurring when the primarynetwork provided by base station 110 is out of range, unreachable,providing insufficient signal strength, etc.) does not extend the LTE orother cellular coverage of base station 110, but instead provides apeer-to-peer IP connection between the user communication devices 120a-d and, optionally, the base station 110 (as will be explained ingreater depth with respect to FIG. 3 .)

Moreover, although each user communication device is shown as beingidentical, it is also possible for a heterogeneous group of usercommunication devices to be utilized. For example, a heterogeneous groupmight include different types or models of smartphones having differentphysical dimensions, operating system versions, and/or primarycommunication networks. A heterogeneous group might also include a firstgroup of user communication devices that are directly coupled to theself-contained mesh radio unit (e.g., a smartphone inserted into a meshradio case/sleeve) and a second group of user communication devices thatare externally tethered to the self-contained mesh radio unit (e.g., alaptop connected via an Ethernet cable).

As will be discussed in greater depth with respect to FIG. 3 , it iscontemplated that the presently disclosed mesh radio unit can run itsown NAT (Network Address Translation) router and DHCP (Dynamic HostConfiguration Protocol) server. Accordingly, in some embodiments, asingle self-contained mesh radio unit can provide simultaneous meshnetwork and IP connectivity to multiple different user communicationdevices. For example, a single mesh radio unit can simultaneouslyconnect two different communication devices to the meshed communicationnetwork: a smartphone can be inserted into the sleeve/case portion ofthe mesh radio unit, while a laptop or other IP-capable device isconnected to the WAN port (Ethernet, etc.) of the mesh radio unit. Insome embodiments, the self-contained mesh radio unit can be configuredwith an Ethernet switch in order to provide a single, consolidatedaccess point for connecting multiple different computers and other IPdevices to the meshed communication network. An Ethernet switch can beconnected to an Ethernet or other WAN port of the mesh radio unit; canbe integrally provided as a component of the self-contained mesh radiounit itself; or some combination of the two. Because the presentlydisclosed self-contained mesh radio unit provides IP connectivity overthe mesh network, it is appreciated that various different IP connectionstandards and networking technologies can be utilized with theself-contained mesh radio unit within the context of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1A depicts an example communication configuration 100 a in whichuser communication devices 120 a-d are arranged in a network topologyhaving only a single routing path connecting all of the devices. Such anarrangement can arise out of simplicity, or more commonly, necessity,such as when the user communication devices are all sufficiently farapart such that they are only able to establish mesh radiocommunications with immediately adjacent devices (e.g., device 120 d candirectly reach device 120 c over mesh radio but cannot directly reachdevice 120 b). As shown here, the distance between devices is 2kilometers, although it is appreciated that this is for purposes ofillustration and is not intended to be construed as limiting—althoughmaximum communication ranges are heavily environment-dependent, in someembodiments the presently disclosed self-contained mesh radio units cannevertheless be configured to provide maximum ranges that exceed 2kilometers. FIG. 1B depicts an example communication configuration 100 bin which user communication devices 120 b-d are all connected to usercommunication device 120 a, but not to each other, illustrating aone-to-many topology as compared to the one-to-one topology of FIG. 1A.

Regardless of the distances between various pairs of communicationdevices, connection to a single device currently participating in themeshed network provides connection to all of the devices currentlyparticipating in the meshed network, by virtue of the design andfunctionality of the mesh network. For example, in the context of FIG.1A, although user device 120 d is only able to communicate directly withuser device 120 c, user device 120 c can forward traffic from device 120d onward to user device 120 b (which can then forward onward to userdevice 120 a, and so on as needed until the correct destination isreached). In the context of FIG. 1B, all traffic runs through userdevice 120 a, due to its centralized position within the meshedcommunication network.

In some embodiments, one or more base stations of the primarycommunication network can be configured for inclusion in the meshedcommunication network. For example, in both FIGS. 1A and 1B, abidirectional communication link is depicted between user device 120 aand base station 110, thereby allowing all other devices on the meshnetwork to reach base station 110 by routing through user device 120 a.Although not depicted, base station 110 can be equipped with a meshradio hardware that allows base station 110 to transmit and receive onthe same frequency or frequencies as the self-contained mesh radio units120 a-d—noting that the meshed communication network and the primarycommunication network typically implement entirely separate frequencybands and/or transmission protocols. In some embodiments, one of thepresently disclosed self-contained mesh radio units can becommunicatively coupled to base station 110, e.g., via an Ethernet orWAN connector on the self-contained mesh radio unit rather thanconfiguring the base station 110 with different mesh radios and/or meshhardware.

Note, however, that because of the direct, peer-to-peer nature of themeshed communication network, in many instances it may not be necessaryfor the user devices 120 a-d to route communications back to basestation 110, unless base station 110 itself is an intended or desiredrecipient. In a conventional cellular network scheme, communications anddata are not exchanged directly between user devices but are insteadintermediated by several network infrastructure components, includingbase stations. That is, for user device 120 a to communicate with userdevice 120 b over the primary communication network associated with basestation 110, the communication path runs from user device 120 a—basestation 110—user device 120 b.

In contrast, when the user devices 120 a-d failover to theirself-contained mesh radio units and participate in the meshedcommunication network, the user devices 120 a-d can operateindependently as a peer-to-peer network without requiring anyparticipation by base station 110. For example, FIG. 1C illustrates onesuch scenario in which the user devices 120 a-d form a peer-to-peerdirect communication network 100 c via the mesh radio units attached toeach user device. Note that as illustrated, the peer-to-peer network 100c is shown as fully connected. In some embodiments, the presentlycontemplated peer-to-peer networks and various other configurations ofthe meshed communication network will not be fully connected—althoughthe meshed network can seek to establish as many connections as possibleor available, it is noted again that any given communication device isable to participate in the meshed communication network with just asingle link. In many scenarios in which user devices 120 a-d failover tothe self-contained mesh radio units, the user devices 120 a-d mostcommonly might be used to communicate with one another rather than abase station (e.g., an emergency response team wants to continue usingtheir smartphones for communication, but cellular service is down).

However, there are also scenarios in which user devices 120 a-d can beexpected to use the meshed network to exchange communications and/ordata with base station 110. For example, this might occur when basestation 110 is considered not as a simple fixed cellular tower, butrather as portable communications node that can be deployed inconjunction with a hierarchical command structure, i.e., in which theusers of devices 120 a-d report to the command associated with basestation 110. (See, for example, the multi-modal communication unit ofcommonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/092,548, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference). Therefore, theability to use the meshed communication network to reach base station110 can be particularly helpful in the contexts in which the presentlydisclosed self-contained mesh radio units might be utilized, i.e., whenthe primary communication network associated with base station 110 isout of range, unreachable, providing insufficient signal strength, etc.

In some embodiments, one or more of the self-contained mesh radio unitscan be utilized as dedicated relay devices and be positioned to extend,maximize, and/or optimize the range and coverage of the overall meshedcommunication network. When functioning as a relay device, theself-contained mesh radio unit may still be coupled to a usercommunication device (e.g., a smartphone is inserted in the mesh radiosleeve) or the self-contained mesh radio unit can operate independently,without being couple to any user communication device.

In some embodiments, the self-contained mesh radio unit can beintegrated with, attached to, or carried by a movable vehicle such as aUAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), as illustrated in FIGS. 2A-B. BothFigures depict an example UAV 230 that is equipped with at least one ofthe presently disclosed self-contained mesh radio units in order tocommunicate with one or more of the user communication devices 220 a-dvia the meshed communication network (as opposed to the primary cellularcommunication network associated with base station 210). However, it isappreciated that other vehicles and transportation modes, bothautonomous and manned, aerial and terrestrial, can be utilized toprovide a relay or repeater functionality with a self-contained meshradio unit.

More particularly, FIG. 2A illustrates an example communicationconfiguration 200 a in which UAV 230 extends the range of user device touser device proximity by relaying communications between the variouscommunication devices 220 a-d. This relay functionality is made possibleby the fact that UAV 230 is within mesh radio range of each of thecommunication devices 220 a-d. By contrast, FIG. 2B illustrates anexample communication configuration 200 b in which UAV 230 is only ableto communicate directly with a single user device 220 b (i.e., userdevices 220 a, 200 c, and 220 d are all beyond mesh radio range of UAV230). In this scenario, the remaining user devices 220 a,c,d are stillable to reach UAV 230, albeit with multi-hop links passing through usercommunication device 220 b. In both scenarios, UAV 230 can also extendthe range at which the user communication devices 220 a-d are able tocommunicate back to base station 210 when it is so desired (as wasdiscussed previously with respect to FIGS. 1A-C).

In some embodiments, one or more of the self-contained mesh radio unitsassociated with the user devices 220 a-d and/or UAV 230 canautomatically select the shortest or optimal path to a requested IPdestination based on mesh agility and/or required transmissioncharacteristics. For example, referring to FIG. 2B, consider a scenarioin which an unreliable or low-bandwidth mesh radio connection might alsoexist between user device 220 c and UAV 230. Because this connection isof low quality, when user device 220 c generates an IP data packetaddressed to UAV 230 as its destination, the low-quality directconnection will not be selected so long as user device 220 c'sself-contained mesh radio unit is able to determine that a higherquality alternative connection is available to UAV 230. Here, thealternative connection is through user device 220 b, and accordingly,the self-contained mesh radio unit coupled to user device 220 c willautomatically determine that the IP packet should be routed from userdevice 220 c—user device 220 b—UAV 230.

In some embodiments, multiple UAVs 230 can be utilized to extend themeshed communication network's interconnection of user communicationdevices even further. For example, FIGS. 2A and 2B depict differentconfiguration scenarios by which UAV 230 can communicate with a firstgroup of user devices 220 a-d that are within relatively close proximityto UAV 230. However, UAV 230 can also communicate with a second UAV,associated with its own second group of user devices, that are locatedwell beyond the range of any direct radio communications between thefirst group of user devices and the second group of user devices. Takingadvantage of the improved sightlines and transmission ranges availableat altitude (i.e., UAVs can fly above or around terrain and otherground-based obstacles), UAV 230 can use its mesh radio to extend themesh communication network to include other UAVs and user communicationdevices that are significantly distant from UAV 230 and its associateduser devices 220 a-d. Additionally, in some embodiments one or more ofthe UAVs (including UAV 230) can be configured with a mesh radio modulewith greater transmission power/range than that of the individual meshradio units coupled to the user communication devices 220 a-d.

The disclosure turns now to FIG. 3 , which is a block diagramillustrating an example internal architecture of a self-contained meshradio unit 300. For reference, FIGS. 4A and 4B present perspective viewsof a smartphone installed into a receiving sleeve of an exampleself-contained mesh radio unit of the present disclosure.

The self-contained mesh radio unit 300 includes a housing 330, whichcontains the various constituent components of the mesh radio andadditionally provides a receptacle (also referred to herein as a“receiving portion”) into which a user communication device or userequipment (UE) 320 can be inserted and physically coupled to the housing330. However, it is noted that the user communication device 320 is nota component of self-contained mesh radio unit itself 300; rather,self-contained mesh radio unit 300 is adapted for compatibility and/orinteroperability with various different user communication devices 320.In some embodiments, particularly when the user communication device isprovided as a smartphone or other handheld communication device, housing330 can take the form of a sleeve or case that envelops the smartphone,and as such the terms “sleeve” and “case” are used herein to refer tohousing 330. (For example, FIG. 4B provides a perspective view showing auser communication device 420, in the form of a smartphone, that hasbeen physically coupled to a housing 430, in the form of a sleeve orcase designed to receive the inserted user device, of a self-containedmesh radio unit).

As illustrated, the majority of the components of the self-containedmesh radio unit 300 are contained within an interior volume defined byhousing 330 and are generally positioned such that, in normal handheldoperation, they are located beneath the inserted user communicationdevice 320. However, it is appreciated that the constituent componentsof self-contained mesh radio unit 300 can be rearranged or otherwiselocated in different relative positions within housing 330, all withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

In order to provide UE 320 with automatic failover from its primarycommunication network (e.g., LTE) to the meshed communication network,self-contained mesh radio unit 300 utilizes a data connection with UE320, via a data connector 352. Data connector 352 can be provided on theexterior of housing 330, such that the insertion of UE 320 into thesleeve or case portion of the housing causes data a corresponding porton UE 320 to be brought into electrical or communicative connection withdata connector 352. For example, as illustrated, data connector 352 is aUSB-C connector, although it is appreciated that various other connectortypes and terminal hardware capable of providing at least data (andoptionally delivering charge) can be utilized without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

Data connector 352 provides a bi-directional link between UE 320 andself-contained mesh radio unit 300. In normal operation of UE 320, aprimary communication network such as LTE is used to transmit andreceive—self-contained mesh radio unit 300 performs backgroundmonitoring of the connection quality between UE 320 and the primary LTEnetwork, e.g., via data transmitted through data connector 352. In someembodiments, network and/or signal state information can be transmittedfrom UE 320 to a mesh module 340 of the self-contained mesh radio unit300, such mesh module 340 analyzes the received information itself anddetermines when to initiate a failover to the meshed radio network. Insome embodiments, this failover determination can be made onboard UE320, with only a failover trigger transmitted to mesh module 340 inresponse.

When a failover to the meshed network is initiated, packets that UE 320would otherwise have transmitted via its onboard cellular antenna mustinstead be routed over USB and via data connector 352 to mesh module340. However, if mesh module 340 does not have a USB input, then anadapter 350 (shown here as a USB-to-Ethernet adapter) is needed in orderto permit UE 320 to send and receive via USB and mesh module 340 to sendand receive via Ethernet. When other protocols are employed by UE 320and/or mesh module 340, it is appreciated that adapter 350 can beconfigured to provide the desired data protocol to both UE 320 and tomesh module 340.

In some embodiments, mesh module 340 can comprise a digital data link(DDL) having one or more mesh radio transceivers. The digital data linkprovides interoperability between UE 320 and the mesh,receiving/transmitting IP packets to/from UE 320 over the meshedcommunications network in a seamless fashion. To provide this receivingand transmitting functionality, an internal antenna 342 and an externalantenna 344 are provided, although it is appreciated that other antennaquantities and configurations can be utilized. In some embodiments,internal antenna 342 is a low gain antenna, and can be a PCB (PrintedCircuit Board) trace antenna. In some embodiments, internal antenna 342can be provided as an internal crosshair or fractal antenna. Externalantenna 344 can comprise a high gain whip antenna, although it iscontemplated that self-contained mesh radio unit 300 can include (i.e.,on housing 330) an SMA connector capable of receiving various externalSMA antennae as desired.

The ability to quickly change from one antenna to another can bebeneficial when a user needs to perform a frequency change onself-contained mesh radio unit 300, i.e., in order for the user toswitch to a meshed communication network having a different frequency.Mesh module/DDL 340 is associated with a particular frequency orfrequency range over which it can operate, and one or both of internalantenna 342 and external antenna 344 will typically be matched to themesh module/DDL frequency. For example, in some embodiments, meshmodule/DDL 340 can be configured to operate at a frequency of 0.9, 1.6,2.3, 2.4, 2.5, or 5.8 GHz. In order to support changing betweendifferent mesh frequencies, mesh module 340 can be integrated withself-contained mesh radio unit 300 in a modular fashion that permitsquick swaps between mesh modules of different frequencies. As seen inFIG. 4A, a quick-change connector 442 can be used to hold and receivevarious different mesh modules 340, wherein a user simply removes aprotective cover on the back of housing 330 in order to accessquick-change connector 442 and the mesh module 340 installed intoquick-change connector 442. In some embodiments, quick-change connector442 can comprise an IC (integrated circuit) carrier, such as the 80-pinIC carrier that is depicted in FIG. 4A.

The power system of self-contained mesh radio unit 300 is based on acombination of an internal, rechargeable battery (indicated as internalpower supply 362) and an external power interface. The external powerinterface can consist of an external power control/transformer 366 and aDC input connector 368. In some embodiments, and as illustrated, theexternal power interface can additionally include wireless charginghardware 380, which for example can be provided as a wireless inductivecharger coil integrated into housing 330. The internal rechargeablebattery 362 can in some embodiments be provided as a lithium ion orlithium polymer battery with a nominal voltage between 3 and 5 volts,although of course other battery chemistries and voltages can beutilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.External power controller/transformer 366 can receive as input 9-36 VDCand provide an output of 5 VDC, or some other output voltage adjusted tomatch the nominal output voltage range that is provided by the internalbattery 362.

Internal battery 362 is coupled to a battery management controller 364,which regulates the charge and discharge of internal battery 362. Tocharge internal battery 362, DC power is obtained from the externalpower interface, i.e., through the combination of DC input 368 andtransformer 366, or from the wireless charging coil 380. A powerselector 360 configures either the external power interface or theinternal battery as the source of electrical power that is to bedelivered to the various components of self-contained mesh radio unit300 and permits the external power interface to be used simultaneouslyfor charging internal power supply 362 and for powering the constituentcomponents of self-contained mesh radio unit 300. When the internalbattery 362 is selected for powering self-contained mesh radio unit 300,a synchronous boost converter 370 regulates the output voltage of theinternal battery 362 and provides a constant 5 VDC output to theconstituent components of self-contained mesh radio unit 300. As thestate of discharge of the internal battery progresses, synchronous boostconverter 370 monitors the battery voltage and triggers an alert orother indication when the battery voltage drops below a pre-determinedthreshold. In the context of the present example, synchronous boostconverter 370 can trigger this low voltage warning (which serves as alow battery warning) when the output voltage of internal battery 362drops below 3.4 volts.

In some embodiments, self-contained mesh radio unit 300 can additionallycharge the UE/user communication device 320 that is connected to theself-contained mesh radio unit 300 via connector 352, given that theconnector 352 supports power delivery in addition to data transmission,as is the case with the USB-C connector that is shown. In this manner,self-contained mesh radio unit 300 is more fully integrated with auser's connected communication device 320, minimizing the need or desireto disconnect from the self-contained mesh radio unit 300, andtherefore, minimizing the likelihood that a user will disconnect fromthe meshed communication network.

Self-contained mesh radio unit 300 can additionally include one or moreexternal WAN (wide area network) connectors 346, which permit variousperipheral and IP-enabled devices such as laptops to be connected toself-contained mesh radio unit 300 and therefore the meshedcommunication network. In order to do so, WAN connector 346communicatively couples an attached IP-enabled device to mesh module340, and mesh module 340 provides the IP-enabled WAN device with accessto the meshed communication network in much the same fashion asdescribed above with respect to mesh module 340 and UE 320. In someembodiments, WAN connector 346 can be utilized while UE 320 is alsoconnected to mesh module 340, such that mesh module 340 simultaneouslyconnects UE 320 and an IP-enabled device at WAN connector 346 to themeshed communication network. Additionally, as mentioned previously anEthernet switch can be connected to WAN connector 346 in order to permitmultiple IP-enabled devices to be connected to the meshed communicationnetwork through mesh module 340. In some embodiments, an Ethernet switchcan be integrated in self-contained mesh radio unit 300, such thatmultiple IP-enabled devices can be connected to and served by meshmodule 340 without requiring any external or additional switching gear.

FIG. 4A depicts a cutaway view of a self-contained mesh radio unit 400as installed on the rear face of a user communication device 420 (shownhere as a smartphone). Not seen in FIG. 4A is the entirety of housing430 that would contain the internal circuitry and components of the meshradio unit 400. FIG. 4B shows a front view of the same mesh radio unit400 and communication device 420 combination, without the backportion/panel of housing 430 removed.

Returning to FIG. 4A, a quick-change connector 442 permits the quickswapping of various modular DDLs or other mesh modules of specifiedfrequencies. A pair of power connectors 480 and 462 provide power to theboard—connector 480 couples to a wireless charging apparatus (i.e., aninductive charging coil) and connector 462 couples to the rechargeableinternal battery (not visible, installed inside of the mesh radio unithousing between the circuit board 450 and the user communication device420). An external power connector 468 receives DC power for rechargingthe internal battery of the self-contained mesh radio unit 400, poweringthe self-contained mesh radio unit 400, and/or charging attached usercommunication device 420. As illustrated, external power connector 468comprises a 2.5 mm barrel plug connector, although various otherconnectors may also be employed. For example, in some embodimentsexternal power connector 468 can be the same type as connector 352,which is compatible with the charging/data port of the usercommunication device 420. External WAN connector 446 is shown here as aJST 5-pin connector, although it is appreciated that various otherconnector types can be used to provide peripheral WAN access toself-contained mesh radio unit 400 and the associated meshedcommunication network. In some embodiments, a flexible PCB portion 454can be used to couple the smartphone connector 452 to the rest of thecircuit board 450 that is contained within the housing of self-containedmesh radio unit 400. The use of flexible PCB portion 454 reduces oreliminates stress that would otherwise be applied to connector 452 whileit is connected to the user communication device 420, i.e., stressesthat would arise due to the tight confines of the internal volume ofhousing 430 and the vertical offset between the location of connector452 and the main board 450 of the self-contained mesh radio unit 400.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mesh radio extension unit comprising: areceiving sleeve, wherein the receiving sleeve includes an open volumeand at least a first data connector, the first data connector providinga communicative coupling to a communication device inserted in the openvolume of the receiving sleeve; a low-gain internal antenna; a high-gainexternal antenna; a digital data link (DDL) associated with a first DDLoperating frequency and coupled to one or more of the internal antennaand the external antenna, such that the DDL provides bidirectional dataconnectivity between the first data connector and a peer-to-peer meshedcommunication network by controlling one or more of the internal antennaand the external antenna as a transceiver at the first DDL operatingfrequency; a power supply system controllable to provide electricalpower to at least the DDL, the power supply system including a batteryand a power interface; and a control system for automatically routingone or more data packets received or transmitted by the DDL, wherein thecontrol system includes a network address translation (NAT) router andan addressing service for assigning and tracking addresses across thepeer-to-peer meshed communication network, and wherein the controlsystem causes the communication device communicatively coupled to thefirst data connector to failover to the peer-to-peer meshedcommunication network in response to determining that a primary networkassociated with the communication device is unavailable or has a signalstrength below a pre-determined threshold.
 2. The mesh radio extensionunit of claim 1, wherein the control system configures the first dataconnector as an Ethernet over USB (Universal Serial Bus) source.
 3. Themesh radio extension unit of claim 1, wherein the first data connectoris a USB-C connector and the mesh radio extension unit further comprisesa USB to Ethernet adapter communicatively coupled between the first dataconnector and the DDL.
 4. The mesh radio extension unit of claim 1,wherein the DDL: receives a data packet from the communication devicecoupled via the first data connector, the data packet destinationaddress corresponding to a second communication device participating inthe peer-to-peer communication network; and transmits the data packet,over the peer-to-peer communication network, to a second mesh radioextension unit determined to be communicatively coupled to the secondcommunication device identified by a destination address of the datapacket.
 5. The mesh radio extension unit of claim 1, further comprisingan external wide access network (WAN) peripheral port, the WANperipheral port communicatively coupled to the DDL in order to provideaccess between the peer-to-peer meshed communication network and one ormore IP-enabled communication devices connected to the WAN peripheralport.
 6. The mesh radio extension unit of claim 5, wherein the WANperipheral port is an Ethernet port.
 7. The mesh radio extension unit ofclaim 5, wherein the WAN peripheral port comprises an Ethernet switchfor connecting multiple IP-enabled communication devices to thepeer-to-peer meshed communication network via the DDL.
 8. The mesh radioextension unit of claim 1, wherein the internal antenna comprises one ormore of a printed circuit board (PCB) antenna, an internal crosshairantenna, or a fractal antenna.
 9. The mesh radio extension unit of claim1, wherein the external antenna is a high-gain whip antenna.
 10. Themesh radio extension unit of claim 1, wherein the external antenna is anSMA antenna and the mesh radio extension unit further comprises an SMAconnector for communicatively coupling the external antenna to the DDL.11. The mesh radio extension unit of claim 1, wherein the integratedpower supply system provides charging power to the first data connectorin order to charge a connected device, the charging power obtained fromthe internal battery or the external power interface.
 12. The mesh radioextension unit of claim 1, wherein the integrated power supply obtainselectrical power from the external power interface and regulatescharging of the internal battery.
 13. The mesh radio extension unit ofclaim 1, wherein the external power interface comprises a connector forreceiving DC electricity.
 14. The mesh radio extension unit of claim 13,wherein the external power interface further comprises a wirelesscharging antenna disposed inside a housing of the mesh radio extensionunit.
 15. The mesh radio extension unit of claim 1, wherein the firstDDL operating frequency is different from a carrier frequency over whichthe coupled communication device operates.
 16. The mesh radio extensionunit of claim 15, wherein the first DDL operating frequency is 0.9, 1.6,2.3, 2.4, 2.5 or 5.8 gigahertz (GHz).
 17. The mesh radio extension unitof claim 15, wherein the coupled communication device is a smartphone,and the carrier frequency is a 4G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), or 5Gcellular telecommunication frequency band.
 18. The mesh radio extensionunit of claim 1, wherein the control system further comprises a DHCP(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server for automatic IP addressingover the peer-to-peer meshed communication network.
 19. The mesh radioextension unit of claim 1, wherein the control system performs a meshagility analysis for transmitting a given IP packet to a given IPdestination and causes the DDL to transmit the given IP packet via abest path through the peer-to-peer meshed communication network to thegiven IP destination.